SFMTA releases Union Square/Market Street Station contract for bid

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Central Subway Union Square/Market Street Station has gone out for bid, marking the latest advance in this major improvement to San Francisco's public transportation system.

The station, a subway station with entrances in Union Square Plaza and at the corner of Market and Stockton streets, will ease travel to and from downtown and Union Square, home to the city's highest concentration of jobs and an array of hotels, retailers, entertainment venues and restaurants.

The station will connect directly to the existing Powell Street Station through an underground, concourse-to-concourse walkway. This link will provide customers quick, easy access to BART and the other Muni Metro lines and improve connections to other Bay Area public transportation systems.

The station was designed by the Central Subway Design Group, a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Michael Willis Architects and Kwan Henmi Architects. The design emphasizes brightness, openness and natural light to complement and enrich Union Square plaza. The station's main entrance, to be located at the corner of Geary and Stockton streets, will blend into the existing landscape by emulating the aesthetic of the plaza. Inside, terrazzo floors, plaster walls and glass and aluminum ceilings will infuse the station with light.

Bids for the estimated $210 million project are due July 11. A pre-bid conference and contractor meet-and-greet event are planned for May 16. Station construction is on track to start in early 2013 and finish in 2017.

The remaining two Central Subway construction contracts, for the Yerba Buena/Moscone Station and for trackwork, systems and the 4th and Brannan surface station, are on track for advertisement by summer.